The government will monitor anti-Shiite groups in the regions of West Java and East Java "very seriously", Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar has warned.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Nasaruddin said that outlawing the Shia sect would be “a very serious problem”, arguing that even conservative Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia have never banned the denomination.

“We must also be very careful with this issue, because it may disturb our relations with countries like Iran, which has many citizens who follow the Shia teachings,” he said in response to anti-Shiite sentiments in West Java and East Java.

In East Java, several Sunni clerics in Madura and other areas in the province have asked the local administration to issue a regulation limiting the spread of Shia Islam, arguing that the sect matched the criteria for heresy issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council in 2007.

Last December, hundreds of people burned four houses, a prayer house and other facilities at a boarding school run by Tajul Muluk, a Shiite leader. Tajul is standing trial on blasphemy charges.

In West Java, Sunni clerics have warned people to avoid the spread of Shia Islam in the area.

Nasaruddin, a lecturer of Koran interpretation, said that while all citizens were free to propose regulations for local administrations, bylaws should not oppose the Constitution.

Contacted separately, Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat said that Shiite followers have always been a part of the history of Islam, citing that people debating their existence “had never studied history”.

“Shia followers in the past contributed a lot to Islam, in terms of knowledge. Therefore, Sunni ulema, particularly in Saudi Arabia, have never debated their existence," he said.

He urged the government to protect Shia followers from any attack, saying that the government must preserve inter-faith harmony by avoiding bylaws that could destroy the nation’s unity.

Meanwhile, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) executive board chairman Said Aqil Siradj said that while Shiite teachings differed from mainstream Islam in Indonesia, the NU has never asked the government to ban Shia followers.

“The Prophet Muhammad has told us that we must not fight each other regardless of our differences,” he told the Post.

Yemenis have staged a demonstration in Sa’ada to condemn US and Saudi meddling in their country.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) -Large crowds of people took to the streets in the northern city of Sa'ada on Friday to protest against what they call "the interference of Saudi Arabia and the United States" in Yemen’s internal affairs.

The demonstrators also carried banners reading "Down with Israel."

On the same day, a massive demonstration was held in the capital Sana'a, where tens of thousands of people called for the purging of ex-regime remnants loyal to former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh from top military posts.

Pakistanis stage protest

against Shia killings

Shiite community staged a rally in Lahore protesting against the recent targeted killing of shias in various cities across Pakistan. Protesters chanted anti-government and anti-American slogans and demanded and immediate stop to the bloodshed.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Protestors blamed the government for letting the culprits roam free and kill Shiites in busses, streets and houses.

The leader of Shia community in Lahore also called on the shia countries around the world to come forward and protest against the killing spree against Shiites in Pakistan.

Pakistan government says it is investigating into the killings and will ensure quick arrests of the culprits.

Shiite targeted killing has been on the extreme as at least 33 shiites were recently targeted and killed in various incidents around the country.

Analyst say that sectarian elements are increasing due to current government negligence, which has failed to secure the lives of the innocent victims.

The shia community has called on the government to take immediate steps to stop the targeted killings of shia across the country and to ensure their safety and religious freedom.

Syrian rebels tortured Iranian pilgrims

Two Iranian pilgrims who were abducted by Syrian rebels in late January and were released in late April say they have been tortured by their captors during their ordeal.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - The two pilgrims were the last of the 11 pilgrims who were kidnapped near the Syrian city of Hama by unidentified gunmen affiliated to the terrorist Syrian Free Army.

Ali Mahmoudi, one of the two pilgrims, says he has been harshly beaten by his captors who had covered his eyes and tied his hands and feet.

“They took me inside a cave. There was a cliff nearby and they dropped me down the cliff, breaking my hands and feet. They told us to insult Iranian officials, but despite the beating, we did not do that,” he added.

The Iranian pilgrim said the rebels accused them of being members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps who had gone to Syria to fight the opposition.

“I told them that I am an old man and no terrorist goes to war taking his family along,” said Gholam-Hossein Darvish, the second Iranian pilgrim.

“It was clear that we were pilgrims, but they took us and we suffered a lot of psychological pain. The things they told us, the place we were [kept] and the food we ate were all horrible,” he said.

The two Iranian pilgrims were released in Turkey’s border province of Hatay and were handed over to Islamic Republic officials on April 23. Sixteen Iranian pilgrims, who were kidnapped in Syria, had been earlier released in two separate phases.

Syria has been the scene of unrest since mid-March, 2011, with demonstrations being held both against and in support of President Bashar al-Assad's government. The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing the protesters. But Damascus blames ''outlaws, saboteurs and armed terrorist groups'' for the unrest, insisting that it is being orchestrated from abroad.